"What are you saying? That I'm fake? Hahaha, young man, you are very funny," Shiro Suzuki said with an affable laugh.
"Heiji, could you be mistaken? He's my father," Sonoko whispered to Heiji.
"Sonoko, you can call your house right now. If I'm not mistaken, your father should still be there," Heiji said with confidence.
"Impossible."
Sonoko, half-convinced, dialed her home's landline number.
"Hello, Suzuki residence."
"Sister, why haven't you arrived yet? The ship has already sailed."
Hearing the voice on the other end of the phone, Sonoko was left speechless.
"Ah, but didn't Inspector Chaki say it was delayed by two hours?" Ayako Suzuki said, very surprised.
"Delayed by two hours? No, not at all."
"But... dad is also still at home."
Sonoko had the speakerphone on. Ayako's words instantly made the atmosphere in the hall tense.
Inspector Chaki signaled the policemen to get into position and prepare to surround the stage.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Applause rang out in the hall, exceptionally crisp and loud.
Tomoko Suzuki was clapping on the stage, a smile on her face: "Heiji, how did you know he was an impostor?"
"President Suzuki is an impostor?"
The hall was thrown into chaos. Everyone was whispering, not understanding Tomoko Suzuki's intentions.
"Mrs. Suzuki, are you saying that President Suzuki is not Kaito Kid in disguise?" asked Inspector Chaki, surprised.
"Excuse me, Inspector Chaki, but he is not my husband. Mr. Sanada Kazumi, you can show your true face now."
With a swift movement, the fake Shiro Suzuki removed his disguise, revealing a very handsome man.
"Madam, distinguished guests, good evening."
"What is happening?"
"How is this possible?"
The members of high society began to whisper again, not understanding the situation.
Heiji suddenly understood everything: So it wasn't Kaito Kid. No wonder the flaw was so obvious.
"Please, do not be alarmed. This is the brilliant magician, Mr. Sanada Kazumi. I invited him to perform an entertainment number, but I didn't expect his disguise to be discovered before he even began. This young man is truly incredible," Tomoko Suzuki said with admiration.
"Heiji is a very good detective," Kazuha couldn't help but say.
"A detective? I didn't expect you to be a detective as well, Heiji," Tomoko Suzuki said, looking at Heiji with surprise.
Heiji smiled elegantly: "You flatter me, madam."
"Mom, what do you mean 'as well'? Heiji is a famous high school detective from Osaka, he's very good," Sonoko said with pride.
"Oh, really?"
Tomoko looked at her daughter with a slightly profound expression.
At that moment, the magician Sanada Kazumi approached and laughed heartily: "Impressive. Your name is Heiji, right? Truly impressive. I consider my disguise to be quite good, how did you discover the flaw? Could you explain?"
Everyone instantly looked at Heiji. It was true, they hadn't realized that President Suzuki was fake.
"Heiji, could you explain?" Tomoko Suzuki was also curious; after all, even she hadn't been able to recognize him.
"Mr. Sanada Kazumi's disguise, in terms of appearance, is certainly excellent. However, you overlooked a very important point: the way of walking."
"The way of walking?"
Everyone looked at each other. Could a person be distinguished by that?
Heiji ignored the reactions around him, picked up a glass of red wine and swirled it gently, exuding an air of confidence.
"I once saw President Suzuki walking on television and noticed that his posture was a bit like a fighter's. At first, I thought it was a coincidence, but after asking Sonoko, I confirmed that it was a habit of President Suzuki."
"Exactly, exactly! Hey, you, Heiji, right? You're incredible, haha... Ayako, did you hear that? Someone finally noticed!"
Sonoko hadn't hung up the phone. Hearing Heiji's reasoning, the real Shiro Suzuki burst out laughing, very excited.
Evidently, Shiro Suzuki's words validated Heiji's deduction.
"A person's habits do not change easily. That's why I was sure that Sanada Kazumi was a fake President Suzuki," Heiji concluded.
The hall was silent for a moment, and the next instant it erupted in thunderous applause.
Kazuha watched everything with happiness and said proudly to Ran and Sonoko, "See? My Heiji is the best of all."
"We know. You're so lucky, Kazuha," Ran said with envy.
"That's right. Hold on to him tight, Kazuha, or else I'll take the opportunity to swoop in," Sonoko joked.
Kazuha paid her no mind and smiled happily.
[Damn it, this brat has stolen all the spotlight.]
Kogoro Mouri looked at Heiji with annoyance.
[Hattori's observation skills are truly astonishing. How does he know so many things? He even knows how a fighter walks.]
Conan looked at Heiji in shock, feeling a strong surge of competitiveness.
"A brilliant deduction. Heiji, if you don't mind, after the banquet, you can come to my house whenever you like. I'm sure you and my husband will get along very well."
Instantly, everyone looked at Heiji with envy. Receiving an invitation from Mrs. Suzuki was basically like earning the trust of the Suzuki Corporation. That was an opportunity many dreamed of.
Heiji smiled slightly, but with great sincerity: "Thank you very much for the invitation, madam. If I have the opportunity, I will surely trouble you."
Tomoko Suzuki nodded and returned to the stage.
"Distinguished guests, the impromptu number from a moment ago was ruined by an extraordinary young man. As compensation, how about we ask Heiji to come on stage and give us an impromptu performance?"
"Good idea! That way we can reminisce about our youth, haha~~"
"Hahaha~~ Agreed!"
The audience consisted of high-society people, so naturally they wouldn't make a big fuss. However, some presidents of other large corporations didn't have as many reservations.
Although their financial power was not comparable to the Suzuki Corporation's, they were not to be underestimated either.
"Heiji, go! We want to see you too."
"Yes, I'm really looking forward to Heiji's performance."
"Me too."
The three girls also wanted to see what else Heiji could do. Lately, he seemed to be omnipotent.
"If the lady asks, naturally I cannot refuse. But, may I go backstage for a moment to prepare?"
Heiji's face showed a confident smile, which raised expectations even more.
When Heiji went backstage, a dozen security guards appeared from the sides. They were carrying trays on which, surprisingly, were a lot of black pearls: the Dark Star.
"As you can see, there are many Dark Stars here. That's right, only one of them is real, the others are imitations. Now we will distribute them to you. I want to see how the Night Baron and Kaito Kid try to steal this jewel of the darkness."
Hearing Tomoko Suzuki's words, the others understood. The idea was to confuse the two thieves. With so many people and only one real jewel, or perhaps none, the difficulty of the theft increased considerably.
When everyone had received a Dark Star, the brilliant magician approached and said with a smile: "It seems Heiji is not ready yet. How about I offer you a magic trick to entertain you?"
"Good idea. Then, Mr. Sanada Kazumi, I'll leave it to you," Tomoko Suzuki said with a smile.
"The honor is mine. However, for this trick I will need to borrow the Dark Star in your hand, madam," Sanada Kazumi said politely.
"Of course, no problem."
Tomoko Suzuki handed the Dark Star to Sanada Kazumi without flinching.
At that moment, Heiji also came out from backstage
-----------------------
Unlock 400+ chapters across 7+ different novels on Patreon!
This Detective Conan novel alone already has 170 chapters available right now on Patreon, so if you want to support the project and enjoy even more exclusive content, I'll be waiting for you on Patreon!
We're entering one of the most mysterious phases of the Detective Conan project — cases that finally connect, secrets that can no longer stay hidden, and plot threads that have been building up for hundreds of chapters are beginning to tie together.
Every clue matters now, and every revelation hits harder than the last 👀
And yes — this project also includes exclusive R18 content.
And of course — many more projects are already in progress!
There's always something new to read.
If you ever spot a mistake or inconsistency, feel free to drop a comment — your feedback helps me improve the story and polish every chapter!
📌 Also, if you write a review or show support for the novel, it helps me a lot — and I'll keep uploading more chapters for those who do. Your support in any form truly motivates me to continue!